What We’re Reading

Big Oil Companies Push Hydrogen as Green Alternative, but Obstacles Remain

Big oil companies have long touted hydrogen energy as a way to reduce carbon emissions. Now they are grappling with how to make that a reality. BP, Royal Dutch Shell and TotalEnergies SE are all pursuing multimillion-dollar hydrogen projects, often with government support, as they seek to redefine their future role in a world less reliant on fossil fuels. Hydrogen made using renewable energy can be produced and used without emitting carbon dioxide. Read more →

What We’re Reading

For the U.S. to Become Carbon Neutral, Long-Term Energy Storage is a Must

The Biden administration is pushing its Energy Earthshots Initiative that aims to accelerate innovation and bring life-changing products to market. That involves “long-term energy storage,” which could radically alter the way electricity is produced and consumed by permanently tipping the scales toward green energy. If voracious energy users such as data centers are to hit their net-zero targets, they must run their enterprises on renewable energy. Read more →

What We’re Reading

US reducing power sector CO2 emissions while growing economy: study

The US power industry has been making steady progress reducing greenhouse gas emissions, with power sector carbon dioxide emissions decreasing about 10% between 2019 and 2020 because of a mixture of pandemic impacts, energy efficiency and fuel switching away from coal, a July 20 report said. This year's report, which has been prepared since 1997, highlighted several "dramatic shifts," as the share of power produced by non-hydro renewables increased 20% from 2019 levels and the share from coal-fired generation decreased by roughly 17%, the statement said. Read more →

What We’re Reading

ERCOT releases plan to boost reliability after blackouts, as report outlines gas, electric failures

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas released a 60-point roadmap outlining how the grid operator plans to ensure the state's power grid is more reliable, following the catastrophic blackouts last winter that almost shut down the region's entire electric system. A report released by he University of Texas at Austin's Energy Institute analyzes what went wrong,  finding the outages that plagued Texas last winter were caused by multiple failures across the gas and electric systems, including, in part, fuel shortages, outages at critical fuel facilities and non-weatherized power plants. Read more →

What We’re Reading

Wärtsilä launches project to develop 100% hydrogen-fueled engine and power plant concept by 2025

Technology company Wärtsilä announced an initiative to develop an engine and power plant concept that will be able to run on 100% hydrogen by 2025, in a move that could contribute to widespread decarbonization of the electric power industry and other sectors. The company’s new project aims to develop that concept by 2025, and commercialize it by the end of the decade. Read more →

What We’re Reading

Corporate giants back clean energy standard

Over 75 companies including names like General Motors, Apple, Unilever and eBay are urging lawmakers to require that power companies supply rising amounts of zero-carbon electricity. A new open letter shows an effort to keep a proposed "clean energy standard" (CES) in the mix on Capitol Hill despite huge political hurdles. Read more →

What We’re Reading

Omaha Public Power securing Wartsila’s gas-fired engines to balance solar PV

Omaha Public Power District, a municipal power provider in Nebraska, has contracted Wärtsilä to supply natural gas-fired engines for a grid balancing plant. The 156-MW multi-fuel engine power plant will be part of the municipal utility’s Power with Purpose project. Power with Purpose will incorporate up to 600 MW of solar photovoltaic generation, supported by fast-starting internal combustion engines to ensure system stability. Read more →

What We’re Reading

NREL releases five-year study on continent-wide integration of renewable energy resources

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) released findings from it five-year North American Renewable Integration Study (NARIS), which aims to inform grid planners, utilities, industry, policymakers, and other stakeholders about challenges and opportunities for continental system integration of large amounts of wind, solar, and hydropower to support a low-carbon future grid. Read more →

What We’re Reading

Why Hydrogen Is the Hottest Thing in Green Energy

Solar panels and wind turbines can’t clean up everything. Making steel, for instance, calls for higher temperatures than traditional electric furnaces can deliver. That’s why plans for blunting climate change now envision a big role for hydrogen in curbing industrial emissions and for powering cars, trucks and ships. So-called green hydrogen is essentially emissions free, But meeting the ambitious plans being made for it means building a giant industry almost from scratch. Read more →

1 2 3 4 5 … 22